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asimilarkite's review against another edition
5.0
A beautifully simply told autobiography. Francisco Jimenez is an inspiring, humble person, and a great writer. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be inspired by how hard work and caring can really propel you forward.
eeewhysee's review against another edition
5.0
These deceptively simple tales are so earnest and filled with heart that they suck you in without you even realizing it.
kristycreads's review against another edition
4.0
The Circuit, Breaking Through, Reaching Out by Francisco Jimenez
All three books are excellent and the story is quite interesting. I only wish it continued onward to his years at graduate school. I also wish this story could still happen today, I am skeptical that the school systems, especially in California could help a student succeed as much as Francisco Jimenez was helped, it all seems a lot harder now.
All three books are excellent and the story is quite interesting. I only wish it continued onward to his years at graduate school. I also wish this story could still happen today, I am skeptical that the school systems, especially in California could help a student succeed as much as Francisco Jimenez was helped, it all seems a lot harder now.
booknightowl's review against another edition
5.0
In reaching out it is the third book in Francisco Jimenez life. He describe how he feels when he leaves his struggling family behind to go to college.
This book was very inspiring because it goes to show that no matter how hard life can be anybody can do better if you just believe. It showed how Francisco who came from Mexico with Spanish being his primary language struggled but he never gave up. He applied to college and got in and how he made it through his first 4 years of college. So good a must read for everyone!
This book was very inspiring because it goes to show that no matter how hard life can be anybody can do better if you just believe. It showed how Francisco who came from Mexico with Spanish being his primary language struggled but he never gave up. He applied to college and got in and how he made it through his first 4 years of college. So good a must read for everyone!
moonrattle's review
inspiring
slow-paced
2.25
I get that this book is middle grade and can also appreciate that this book is autobiographical and Jimenez has written other works that chronicle the struggles of growing up in poverty and as an immigrant in the mid-twentieth century, but I just did not love this. Yes, it is for middle schoolers but seemed to be so little emotion in this that it actually read a bit like a bad application to a job interview for me.
As I was reading this, I was teaching the idea of respect. In fact, Jimenez’s father says early on that you should “Be respectful. If you respect others, they will respect you.” This idea of respect was present at the start of this coming of age, going-away-from-home story but the second half was so episodic that it was hard to track these ideas. I get that this is real life, that Jimenez experienced this, but at the same time, an autobiography should explore larger themes that impacted the individual and this seemed devoid of that. The author, despite his hardship and poverty, actually ended up sounding like he was extremely lucky, privileged and handed a bunch of accolades and opportunities from a lot of white people that were conveniently and benevolently in his life. Not a lot of focus is placed on his own grit or his own conflicting emotions, and immigrant guilt, and certainly all of his instances of facing disrespect gets downplayed. Jimenez didn’t have to focus on that but this is a story solely without conflict.
Life just happens to him and it turns out to be a good life. I wish there was more to this story than what we were offered, so I cannot recommend this book even for middle grade readers.
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